Latest / Sober Readings / Holding Back Nothing
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome to Sober Readings, today is Wednesday the 6th of May. Let's begin today with a serenity prayer. God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. From Daily Reflections, for May 6, holding back nothing. The real tests of the situation are your own willingness to confide and your full confidence in the one with whom you share your first accurate self-survey. Provided you hold back nothing, your sense of relief will mount from minute to minute. The dammed-up emotions of years break out of their confinement and miraculously vanish as soon as they are exposed. As the pain subsides, a healing tranquility takes its place. That's from the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pages 61 to 62. A tiny kernel of locked-in feelings began to unfold when I first attended AA meetings, and self-knowledge then became a learning task for me. This new self-understanding brought about a change in my responses to life's situations. I realized I had the right to make choices in my life, and the inner dictatorship of habits slowly lost its grip. I believe that if I seek God, I can find a better way to live, and I ask him daily. to assist me in living a sober life. Today's reading from 24 Hours, May 6th, AA Thought for the Day. I've noticed that the ones who do the most for AA are not in the habit of boasting about it. The danger of building myself up too much is that if I do, I'm in danger of having a fall. That pattern of thought goes with drinking. If one side of a boat gets too far up out of the water, it's liable to tip over. Building myself up and drinking go together. One leads to another. So if I'm going to stay sober, I've got to keep small. Ask yourself, have I got the right perspective of myself? The way sometimes seems long and weary. So many people today are weary. The weariness of men must be often shared by others. The weary and the heavy laden, when they come to me, should be helped to find the rest that I have found. There is only one sure cure for world weariness, and that is turning to spiritual things. In order to help bring about the turning of the weary world to God, I must dare to suffer, dare to conquer selfishness in myself, and dare to be filled with spiritual peace in the face of all the weariness of the world. today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may be a help to discouraged people. I pray that I may have the courage to help bring about what the weary world needs but does not know how to get. Today's final reading is from, as Bill sees it, today we're reading from page 281. Ourselves as Individuals. is only one sure test of all spiritual experiences. By their fruits ye shall know them. This is why I think we should question no one's transformation, whether it be sudden or gradual, nor should we demand anyone's special type for ourselves. because experience suggests that we are apt to receive whatever may be the most useful for our own needs. And that's from an article written in the grapevine in July of 1962. Human beings are never quite alike, so each of us, when making an inventory, will need to determine what his individual character defects are. Having found the shoes that fit, he ought to step into them and walk with new confidence that he is at last on the right track. And that is from the 12 and 12, page 48. So that's it for today's readings. If you've got a piece of literature that you'd like to hear read on Sober Readings, can send it to me at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com. And in that email, let me know if you'd like to be a guest reader. I would love to have you. So if you enjoyed today's show, please do me a huge favor and hit that like button and share this episode with someone you think might need it. And also leave a comment for me. So if you'd like to drop a dollar in today's virtual donation basket, just go to soberreadings.com and click the donate button. So thank you very much for listening today. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other, and remember just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day. And as my friend Larry says, best day ever.